In my DCC world there is no Platemail, I struck it from the rulebook. The best you can get is a Breastplate, for which I use the Half-Plate stats.

Now in the Pulpy appendix N world, there are many instances of the Hero using nothing more than a shield or even a helm and shield. I'm not a real numbery rulesy kinda guy, and I want a way to make having a shield be a bit more worth it than a measly +1AC bonus.

So I was thinking that maybe if you are wearing armor then shields work as written. However if you choose to forego armor and just use a shield then the AC bonus should be more?!?!? But how much more ? And should you have maybe a D3 fumble die if using just a shield? or none at all.

All in all, I would like for a player who wants to run around in fur underwear with a shield not have to feel like a chump as he goes up in level. What is a simple quick way to handle this?

any thoughts, ideas, or house rules already in use for this kind of thing?

_________________Ah well, who wants to live forever? DIE!worldoferoc.blogspot.com

Someone (I forget who) posted that they allow non-armored warriors to use their agility as their AC, so an 18 Agi warrior would have AC 18, possibly 19 (or more) if they were using a shield. I'm not sure if the Agi bonus would factor into that or not (I probably wouldn't).

I actually really like the idea of using base AC as Agi... except it kinda sucks for less than 10 Agi, especially if you factor in the negative modifiers (another reason I wouldn't).

But you could get around that by doing something different with armor: either damage reduction, or damage absorption ("soak"). Easiest would be something like the following:

from each hit. You still get some good usefulness out of armor, but it's a bit more variable and now it is possible (though difficult; unless backstabbing / burning luck) to kill someone wearing full plate and a shield with a dagger.

Thanks for the ideas. I'm staying away from the reduction/soak thing, as I don't really want to "change" the armor charts or anything.

Floating the Agility as AC idea in my head though. I agree no Agi bonus is added to AC if you use it that way. Also thinking that if you choose to go armorless and only use a shield, then shields have a new subset of stats:

Buckler +1ACWooden Shield +3ACMetal shield +4AC

and you can do the "shields will be shattered" thing as well.....

still thinking....

_________________Ah well, who wants to live forever? DIE!worldoferoc.blogspot.com

There's a deed that gives you and possibly allies +AC. But you have to succeed on a deed roll...

Sure.

But, if your goal is to have lightly armoured Warriors, and you don't think that the Fumble tables offer enough balance for a better AC, then using the Deed Die in this way makes an okay houserule. It is easy, and it takes away opportunity in exchange for a bonus. Moreover, when that Warrior wants to perform a Deed, he must make himself more vulnerable to do so.

Nor should the houserule be allowed to extend protection to allies; that should require an actual Deed.

(Mind you, I'm happy with the system as written on this, thus far, but if I wanted to give Warriors a bonus to AC, I would want to take something away to achieve it. Ye Olde Faustian Bargain. So, you get to choose between a Deed or better AC. If you choose the Deed, you might get something better than good AC, but the Deed might fail. A Deed Die roll that would have failed as a Deed is only a +1 or +2 boost to AC until high levels, and so isn't that big a deal.)

Yeah... I don't dislike your solution. I'm going to play through an entire campaign before I make any changes to the AC system. But if I were to change it RIGHT NOW, I'd probably go with the Agi-as-AC idea and make armor soak, perhaps apply the armor check penalty in some form, perhaps nerfed slightly (which is based on weight/encumbrance, after all), to the Agi-as-AC model... that way a 16 Agi Warrior in Plate mail isn't basically indestructible.

Someone (I forget who) posted that they allow non-armored warriors to use their agility as their AC...

In my current game I'm trying a little twist to this.

I wanted a low-armor swashbuckler-style world but also wanted to decrease the lethality, so I allowed characters in armor to add their reflex bonus and characters without armor to add the reflex bonus twice. This has really encouraged my players to avoid armor use.

I haven't played enough sessions to decide if this "breaks" the balance or not. So far it doesn't seem to bad...

"The worthy GM never purposely kills players' PCs, He presents opportunities for the rash and unthinking players to do that all on their own." -- Gary Gygax"Don't ask me what you need to hit. Just roll the die and I will let you know!" -- Dave Arneson

In my DCC world there is no Platemail, I struck it from the rulebook. The best you can get is a Breastplate, for which I use the Half-Plate stats.

Now in the Pulpy appendix N world, there are many instances of the Hero using nothing more than a shield or even a helm and shield. I'm not a real numbery rulesy kinda guy, and I want a way to make having a shield be a bit more worth it than a measly +1AC bonus.

So I was thinking that maybe if you are wearing armor then shields work as written. However if you choose to forego armor and just use a shield then the AC bonus should be more?!?!? But how much more ? And should you have maybe a D3 fumble die if using just a shield? or none at all.

All in all, I would like for a player who wants to run around in fur underwear with a shield not have to feel like a chump as he goes up in level. What is a simple quick way to handle this?

any thoughts, ideas, or house rules already in use for this kind of thing?

here is what i came up with.

plate armor is +5 ac with a -5 action penaltyhalf plate is +4/-4chain and scale are both +3, but, chain is -3 while scale (the cruder version of chain) is -4hardened leather and hides are both +2 hardened leather is -2 while hides (the cruder version of hardened leather) is -3soft leather and padded armor are both +1 again the penalty is -1/-2shields add +2/-1helms add +1/-1 and by helm i mean serious head protection, not a skull cap of leather.i'm also contemplating adding the luck bonus (good or bad) to ac as well.

now a "pulpy" fighter in soft leather, shield and helm starts with ac14 before any agility/luck/deed bonus.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum